William Short (January 11, 1866 – January 27, 1926) was a politician in

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

and a two time mayor of

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

Biography

Short was born July 11, 1866 near

Elora, Ontario Elora is a community in the township of Centre Wellington, Wellington County, Ontario, Canada. It is well known for its 19th-century limestone architecture and the geographically significant Elora Gorge. Elora is no longer an independent enti ...

and studied law at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 ...

before coming to Alberta in 1889. He articled to

James Alexander Lougheed Sir James Alexander Lougheed, ( or ; 1 September 1854 – 2 November 1925) was a businessman, lawyer and politician from Alberta, Canada. He served as a senator for 35 years, and held a number of Cabinet positions. Early life Lougheed was bor ...

from 1891 until 1894, when he was called to the provincial bar. That year, he moved to Edmonton and opened a law practice before partnering with Charles Cross in 1900 to form Short & Cross (which still exists today under the name Duncan Craig LLP). He married Henrietta McMaster on February 7, 1900; the pair had one son and one daughter. In

1899 Events January 1899 * January 1 ** Spanish rule ends in Cuba, concluding 400 years of the Spanish Empire in the Americas. ** Queens and Staten Island become administratively part of New York City. * January 2 – **Bolivia sets up a c ...

, Short was elected to sit as a public school trustee, which he did until he was acclaimed as mayor during the 1901 election. He faced no opposition to his re-election bid in

1902 Events January * January 1 ** The Nurses Registration Act 1901 comes into effect in New Zealand, making it the first country in the world to require state registration of nurses. On January 10, Ellen Dougherty becomes the world' ...

, and defeated his former school board colleague H. C. Taylor in the 1903 election to retain the title. This allowed him to be mayor when Edmonton's status changed from town to city in 1904, and to author the city charter. He did not seek another term in the 1904 election. During this first stint as mayor, Short oversaw the extension of the railroad to the north side of the

North Saskatchewan River The North Saskatchewan River is a glacier-fed river that flows from the Canadian Rockies continental divide east to central Saskatchewan, where it joins with the South Saskatchewan River to make up the Saskatchewan River. Its water flows event ...

in 1902 (an event which occasioned the proclamation of a civic holiday by Mayor Short). He returned to the mayoralty in December 1912 by defeating two candidates, including future mayor Joseph Clarke. His re-election bid in

1913 Events January * January 5 – First Balkan War: Battle of Lemnos – Greek admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis forces the Turkish fleet to retreat to its base within the Dardanelles, from which it will not venture for the rest of the ...

was foiled by

William McNamara William West McNamara (born March 31, 1965) is an American film and television actor. Personal life Born in Dallas, Texas, McNamara is the son of a Ford Motor Company employee and an interior designer. He attended Salisbury School, Columbia Un ...

, making him the first mayor in Edmonton's history to lose a re-election bid. After this defeat, Short did not return to politics. William Short was active with the Masons, the Edmonton Board of Trade, and the Conservative Party of Alberta. He was also an enthusiastic motorist and owned one of Edmonton's first automobiles. He died January 27, 1926. William Short Road in Edmonton is named in his honour.

Sources

Edmonton Public Library biography of William ShortCity of Edmonton biography of William ShortHistory of Duncan & Craig law firmReal Estate Weekly account of the history of the railroad in Edmonton
{{DEFAULTSORT:Short, William 1866 births 1926 deaths Mayors of Edmonton University of Toronto alumni Lawyers in Alberta People from Centre Wellington 20th-century Canadian politicians